The View
by Tess 4 5
Summary: This turned from a one piece into a two piece and then some more chapters developed. So I had to edit the summary: This is definitely very much more than just a view. It started quite thoughtless when Barbara came around Tommy's house. It was a hot summer's night. See how it goes...
1. Her View

# # # # July, 11, 2014 - c1 reworked # # # #

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**Author's note:** I don't own any of the original characters nor the original Inspector Lynley Mysteries – they belong to Elizabeth George and the BBC.

I have borrowed the characters and solely own the ideas and the developments I've let them go through.

Please let me know if I did something terribly wrong (rating, grammar, spelling...). Thanks!

Reviews and comments are very welcome!

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This is just a fluffy little piece. It is written in one go (well, actually in two... been disturbed, now it's three...) and has no real plot - just a view.

Enjoy it!

UPDATE: c1 and c2 reworked (no real change, just a few words changed/added), c3-5 added - there's more to see ;-)

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She was still slightly sweating though it was night by now and she was wearing thin linnen trousers, a light spaghetti strap top and sandals. All her appearance was very unusual for her but the hot summer's day dictated light clothings. Every little movement had been too much this day and she already had showered a second time to cool off a bit.

His butler had opened the door for her, led her into the cool living room and offered a glass of cold water before he excused himself and disappeared somewhere in the depth of the house. He did not ask anything and she was very glad that she had not to explain that her small flat had been too stuffy and too claustrophobic to think clear or to get some sleep. Why she had chosen to come _here_ of all places was something she had wondered about only when the door opened. Then it was too late to turn and go somewhere else. Hopefully _he_ neither would ask.

All windows of the room were open due to the heat. She stepped out onto the balcony and let her gaze wander across the little park right behind his house. The lawn was being watered right then and there was a cool rising damp in the air, something fresh hovered up to her.

_What a luxury!_ she thought enviously.

In the park were some smaller sycamores and two enormous chestnut trees and on a wall nearby with a white wooden bench next to it there was a big white bushy rose tree in full bloom which last had seen a gardener's hand probably many years ago thus looking very wild and romantic. Its rich scent indulged the senses so she closed her eyes and inhaled deeply for a while.

The night was dark, still the sky was lit up by the never sleeping city of London that made stars invisible. Only the crescent moon could be seen above the dark orange canopy the beaming city behind the trees projected into the nightblue sky.

It was totally quiet at this time of the night and so she was able to hear his naked feet pad on the wooden floor of his living room when he walked in behind her. She even could hear his breath. She did not turn for a while. She simply was self-conscious how to explain why on earth she was here. But she was not startled at all when he finally spoke.

"So, you like what you see?"

Now Barbara turned and looked at Tommy. She did not answer immediately.

His dark gaze captured her. There was something of a gentle peace of mind glowing in his eyes, the little wrinkles in the corners showed his delight, the twitch in his smiling lips encouraged her to speak.

But she still did not know what to say. She was lost in the view. Her own gaze had to drink in his full appearance.

His hair was tousled and still damp and some waterdrops on his neck had escaped his quick drying, now running slowly down his chest, tantalizingly passing his areola. He had nothing on but a little white towel wrapped around his hips, revealing his naked upper body. His strong arms were leisurely akimbo, his bare muscular chest with some lovely greyed hair was rising and falling in the rhythm of his deep breaths, the not quite so muscular belly seemed to be sucked in to appear flatter.

She knew that he knew that she was feasting on his sight. And he knew that she knew that he indulged in her staring.

And much to her appreciation she registered the dark hair visible underneath his bellybutton. Involuntarily she opened her mouth and moistened her bottom lip. The towel was really small and hang very low on his hips. The pelvic bones led her eyes to the bulge under the white terrycloth that so sexily counteracted with his dark skin, having been sunbathed in Cornwall for the last two weeks. Her look went further down picturing his well shaped thighs under the cloth, watching his bare knees, his calves and finally his feet, standing now in a little puddle of water where the towel could so easily fall down to.

Finally she came back to some senses. She was blushed to the roots of her hair when she realized that she still had not said a word to his question. She cleared her throat and blinked once. Her voice was lower and huskier than she intended when she looked up again meeting his dark and tender eyes and finally answered.

"Indeed I do."

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	2. His View

# # # # July, 11, 2014 - c2 reworked # # # #

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**Author's notes:** Geee - I started writing down the first ideas in the middle of the night when I better should have slept to be fresh on the next day having so much real life stuff to do...

This is HIS view.

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He stood under a lukewarm shower to wash away the sweat of a hot summer's day when somebody knocked at the bathroom door.

It was his butler announcing that Ms Havers was waiting in the livingroom.

He was surprised. He had not expected her. Not now. Not here. He wondered what she would want.

"Sir?" his butler asked concerned.

"Ah, well, yes, Denton, thank you. And you may call it a day. Good night."

"Thank you, Sir. Good night."

A naughty thought suddenly crossed his mind and he quickly turned up the cold water. He scolded himself that this was not really appropriate. He did not bother to dry himself properly and with only a towel wrapped around his waist he went into his living room.

All the way in he looked at the woman's back standing on the balcony and gazing out into his garden.

It was totally quiet in his house and so his naked feet were clearly audible when he padded on the wooden floor walking in behind her. She must have heard him because he could see that her body tensed. She did not turn though and he could relish the look of her behind for some more moments.

She was dressed very unfamiliar to his eyes but all the more beautiful. Due to the hot weather she wore brown leather sandals. The wide trousers legs fell slackly onto her feet. It was a sandcolored linnen cloth and as wide as it was at her legs as fitting it was at her well-shaped bum. Her tiny briefs were clearly showing through the thin cloth, outlining the curves from her taut round cheeks up to her little hip pads.

Her waist was accentuated by the tapered pattern of the top which must be even tighter on her front, probably stretching above her breasts.

He swallowed.

Her bare shoulders were only covered with some thin spaghetti straps of her light dark-ruby top that so adoringly counteracted with her ivory skin, probably having been kept in neonlit and airconditioned offices at the Yard for the last two weeks. Her shoulders seemed to glow white against the dark orange sky that was illuminated by the never sleeping city of London.

The scent of the old rose tree reached his nose, mixed with a hint of her well known perfume which she always used very sparingly. He could have told it in a crowd of thousands of people anyway.

Her unmanageable hair had been pinned up carelessly but effectful, for the only purpose of this updo was to keep her hair away from her neck, letting some air float across it. Though some damp curls spoke of a still slightly sweatcovered nape.

_...may taste salty. _he thought and breathed deeply.

To keep him from imagining more he decided to finally address her. She was not startled at all so he knew for sure now that she had heard him coming.

"So, you like what you see?"

Barbara turned and Tommy offered an encouraging smile.

Her emerald gaze captured him. There was something of a mild aspiration glowing in her eyes, the slightly flaring nostrils showed her enchantment, the hint of a smile played around her lips.

He was not sure if he wanted her to break the silence of the night. Every word might be a flashlight in the dimly lit living room.

He saw how her eyes wandered, slowly and consumingly revelling across his body. Drops of water ran down his skin and felt like wet traces of her eyes. He liked the way she shamelessly stared at him so he did not move an inch, keeping his hands on his hips.

Somehow she still kept herself armoured with her arms crossed over her belly but he still could see some skin glimpsing through. He involuntarily sucked his own belly in.

He knew that she knew that he bathed in her staring. And she knew that he knew that she literally ate his body alive.

Much to his appreciation he registered that her top was indeed a bit tighter over her upper curves.

And she was not wearing a bra. His pupils dilated.

Due to the day's sweltry heat the skin of her cleavage was shimmering even without jewellery. Her bare neck led his eyes to her face just in time to see her tongue slowly moisten her bottom lip. Once more he had to divert his gaze, hovering down to the waistband of her trousers which sat low on her hips. The short cut top did not cover it at all.

At the sight of her bare belly skin he swallowed again and quickly turned his eyes to her feet. Her toenails were varnished in the same ruby colour as her top. He had never seen her so feminine like she was now.

Something was stirring in his groin and he tried to focus on some chess moves to distract him from it. She still had not answered. He heard her clear her throat and saw her eyes focussing his again when she finally voiced her approval. Her low and husky answer hit him to the core.

"Indeed I do."

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Thanks for reviews! :-)


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's note:** I have reworked the first two chapters again (no real change, just a few words changed/added - you don't have to re-read it) and while reading about the garden, and especially the bench under the roses, I saw a white plot-bunny disappearing in the darkness behind the trees (I could swear it actually took a watch out of its waistcoat-pocket!), leaving me with some more images in my mind.

Still there is so much to see... ;-)

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I have written it as a whole but then decided to split the following scene, equal to the first two chapters, so here are three short ones.

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After two seconds of silence in which they stared at each other trying to figure out what this was about he had regained his composure and told her that he also loves the view of his garden.

"It pretends that I'm _not_ in the middle of a megacity. But I've spent too less time there for too long now. I should..."

"What?!" Barbara cried out. "This is your _garden_? I've thought it was a _park_!"

Tommy chuckled and invited her to go down, sit on the bench and enjoy the _luxury of a private garden_.

"There's a nice little place next to the rose tree, we could have a cold drink or two and chat. I'll just change into something more, erm... appropriate."

Realising that he still has nothing on but the small white towel Barbara agreed blushing deep red and turned to the garden again.

"The stairs are hidden behind the potted laurel tree," Tommy explained. "You can't miss them. You may go and wait downstairs if you wish. The sprinkler is already switched off."

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She was glad to have something to do and so Barbara hurried down to wander around under the trees in the very dark garden.

From down there one could not see the city lights of London and just some faint stars and the crescent moon were visible. Dimmed lights shone through the window of the living room and created a small illuminated area around the bench. The light cone reached only to the foot of the enormous chestnut tree in the middle.

When he came back Tommy carried a wine cooler with a bottle of white wine and in the other hand two glasses.

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	4. She is watching

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Barbara stood in the darkness behind the tree and watched him appearing on the balcony where he stopped and looked around as if he could not see her. Barbara took advantage of this and stayed hidden.

He stopped once more at the top of the stairs seemingly adjusting his eyes to the darkness. Then he slowly went down.

He had changed into a white T-shirt and some light grey sweat pants without cuffs at his ankles and he still was barefoot.

Barbara saw that his pants were tight but they were _very_ tight at his upper thighs and with every step down he bent his legs and stretched the cloth over his muscles. The arm that embraced the wine cooler showed a tensed up biceps likewise stretching the already close-fitting short sleeve of his white shirt, contrasting pleasantly with his sunburnt skin like the towel had done.

Barbara had never before seen that he was that muscular.

She let her eyes follow the little convulsions of Tommy's upper arm, keeping the wine cooler balanced with his movements down the steps. His muscles were well defined but not excessively built up. _Still he probably could heave me easily._

She swallowed.

Tommy impishly padded through the puddles of the watered grass to the bench. There he put the glasses on the wood and then knelt to set down the wine cooler.

Barbara gasped audibly. She could tell that his delicate bum cheeks which were stretching his sweatpants were covered with nothing more than exactly those.

Watching him there Barbara tried not to move an inch to stay unseen though she would have loved to grab his ass. It surely would be as firm as it looked.

_He should wear more of those close-fitting stuff._ She blushed by the thought of her arms around his waist and his bottom in both of her hands.

Meanwhile Tommy got up again and now reached at a rose high above his head to pick it. The T-shirt he was wearing was not very long and now revealed a glimpse of his belly. Having the sight of him in nothing but a towel still very present in her mind she imagined the dark hair below his navel more than she could really see it.

Tommy placed the rose next to the two glasses thus gave them the touch of a romantic tête-à-tête.

Then he turned, arms again akimbo, and peered into the darkness. His hair was not yet dry.

Barbara was sure that he still had not seen her but before he could call for her she took a step into the light and leant against the chestnut tree with her shoulder. She crossed her arms and - still slightly blushed - watched him watching her for a while. In her life there had been far too less situations like this and she savoured every moment.

"Are you looking for me?" she then asked with a wink.

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	5. He is watching

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Tommy had watched her appearing in the light cone at the foot of the chestnut tree. He knew she had been there somewhere - where else should she have gone to. And he knew that she had been watching him at least since he was placing the wine cooler on the grass.

He clearly had heard her gasp.

That's why he had the idea of picking the rose. He had been sure that his shirt would not be long enough to cover his belly when he would reach for the highest blossom. He could make a show if he wants to and he liked the idea of her eyes raking over his body.

He also had noticed the romantic touch with the rose between the wine glasses.

Now she stood there casually leaning against the tree. She watched him watching her. Tommy sensed that she somehow equally liked it to be watched by him that way. With her arms crossed in front of her chest she involunatrily had let her top ruck up so he could see the pale skin of her belly shining in contrast with the dark-ruby coloured cloth once more.

He longed to close the distance and reach out and touch it with just the tips of his fingers.

He wanted to know if it felt as silken as it looked. He wanted to caress her scar. He wanted to soothe it.

Tommy swallowed.

Leaning against the tree Barbara's right leg was bent and the other straight, letting her well rounded hip protrude to one side.

_When I would have closed the distance between us and have touched the skin of her belly then I could place my other hand on that soft pad._ Tommy imagined how he would have pressed his hand gently onto her flesh, how he would have pulled her hip to him.

He swallowed once more.

The dampness of the watered garden and the general sultriness of the day let her pinned-up hair curl more than usual. This and her pale skin in the moderately illuminated darkness and the lightly hanging clothes gave her an aethereal appearance.

Tommy looked into her dark green eyes.

Barbara had her head tilted to one side when she finally had spoken.

_Is she trying to seduce me?_ He could swear that her blinking was slower than it should be and he wondered if his mind was playing tricks on him. His lower body actually did. Slowly her words came through to his mind and woke him from his flippant thoughts just in time to save him from an embarrassing situation.

She still held his gaze.

Tommy had to clear his throat when he finally answered with a nod.

"For quite some time."

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**Author's note:** It will go on ;-)


	6. Wine, Rose and Bell

**Author's note:** When I started this our hot weather had been very inspiring for this hot summer night but it was also slowing things down. I've been melting away and would have given my kingdom for a cool garden. Days later we've had a very bad and very local rain disaster, but luckily I've been spared from it (basement stayed dry). Now it has been changing daily from hot to steamy to cold to rain to sun... crazy weather...

Anyway, I've finally yanked out my muse from behind a rose bush, found a bit of my inspiration in a drawer of my desk and detected some free time under layers of work.

Here's the next chapter.

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"Fancy sharing some wine with me?" he asked after he had succeeded in ripping his eyes from her frame. He made an inviting gesture towards the seat under the rose bush.

First Barbara did not move. She looked at Tommy and then to the romantic layout he had arranged on the bench. The blossoms poured their scent over the garden and it nearly was breathtaking, even some yards away where she stood.

_Where will this lead?_ Barbara timidly thought.

Tommy openly smiled and waited for her to come over.

_Don't be silly, Barb! _Barbara soliloquised. _You're simply sharin' a glass of wine and then go home. Or two glasses if the conversation will get goin'. If! And _then_ go home. Maybe we'll empty the bottle because we've found a topic we both are interested in. And then he'll call for a cab and I'll get home safe. Or maybe we end up kissin' under the roses and I'll stay for the - oh, get real, old girl, nothin' like this would ever happen!_

He made her nervous. She watched his dark gaze moving from her eyes to her mouth and then he was wiping his nape.

_Was that too much?_ Tommy nervously thought while Barbara hesitantly watched him and the nice little arrangement on the bench. _I shouldn't have done that thing with the rose. She's not here to be seduced. She's not here to get involved in _any_ romantic issue. But really, why _is_ she here? And why are we saying nothing? And why are her eyes so unbelievably green? Good god, she doesn't know what she's doing to me with just her looks. Can't she just come over to me? I'd love to drown myself in her eyes and then I'd kiss her and then I'd let my hands run over her back and then-_

"Sounds good." she finally said, pushed her shoulder off the tree and strolled over to the little niche that was nestled against the wall between the bushy rose branches.

Tommy inwardly recited some house rules from Eton that helped him cool off while she swayed over to him, gestured for her to sit down and politely waited until she was placed before he sat himself on the edge of the bench and poured the wine. The beverage was so cold, the glasses immediately fogged.

He handed one over to Barbara. Their fingers brushed.

The surprised look they exchanged told her that it had been unintentional.

Their fingers kept contact for a second longer than necessary.

The shy softness their eyes were washed over with in an instant told him that it was greatly appreciated.

It was sizzling on both sides.

He held her gaze for two seconds and when she dropped her eyes he shifted to sit comfortable.

_...rule 28: do not run in corridors - rule 29..._

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"To a nice surprise." he said and raised his glass.

She took a sip and shivered. "Oooh, it's _ice_ cold."

"Unlike the night." he answered with a wink which made her blush.

Then he asked her to which circumstances he owed the pleasure of her presence. He tried to sound casual which in fact he was not.

_Didn't she realise how late it is? Not that I'd care..._

"Oh, I've just come around after a nice afternoon with Haddiya who visited me today 'n' she nobbled me into shoppin'. But she had a date tonight. She's grown so much..." Barbara smiled into the darkness somehow lost in thought about the daughter of her former neighbour.

After a while she continued. "Truth be told, I didn't really know what to do tonight. This bloody hot weather turns my flat into a sticky oven. I remembered that you've returned from Cornwall today so I thought about a pint or somethin'."

_And I've not spared a thought about the nightly time._

Barbara raised her glass. "Anyway, a wine in the garden will do!"

"I'm glad to hear that. But you can have a beer if you wish..." Tommy suggested.

"Oh, no, thanks, I'm fine with the wine."

They shared some stretched moments of silence.

"Actually it's very much more pleasant here, with this bloody heat I really don't wanna sit in a crowded pub." Barbara continued.

"Oh, yes, I agree..." Tommy sighed.

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Before the next moment of silence stretched Tommy jumped and literally facepalmed.

He explained that he had some cold food being made before he had gone to shower and so he rushed up the stairs. Quickly he returned with a tray with cut cheese, grapes, rolled slices of prosciutto and crackers which he placed between them.

"I've planned to laze about in front of the telly. And every hot meal would be lethal today." Tommy winked.

"Oh, I'm not really hungry, Sir. In those hot summer days I mostly have no appetite."

_Oh, _I_ have!_ he thought and cleared his throat. "You've already had dinner?"

"No, but-"

"Than feel free to pick whatever you want!"

_You have no idea!_ she thought. "If I'm really not stealin' your dinner..."

"I wouldn't call _that_ a dinner."

They laughed and Tommy toasted again. "It is not the quantity of the meat but the cheerfulness of the guests which makes the feast."

"Hear, hear..." Barbara pinkened.

"It's Edward Hyde who said this truth." Tommy explained with a smile. "He was the 1st Earl of Clarendon and grandfather of-"

"Oh, spare me _that_, Sir!" Barbara rolled her eyes which made Tommy grin.

"Sorry, I forgot your lack of interest in the history of - like you name it - _my lot_ and other important-"

"_When_ did he live?" she eagerly interrupted his explanations.

"In the 17th century, but why-"

"So, he's probably dead for 'bout 350 years - I think his meat already is mouldy." Realising the double meaning of her words she added with a grin "Either." and picked some prosciutto. "But this here is very fresh and admittedly delicious."

_And you wouldn't believe _how_ delicious._ Tommy thought, his eyes following her fingers disappear between her lips.

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"Glad to hear that." he picked a grape and some cheese and leaned back, sitting very casually on the bench, stretching his legs, spreading his arms on the backrest and looking into the sky, trying to keep his mind under control. His eyes fell on the wild rose tree and he chatted about his garden which seldomly sees a gardener. Only the grass is trimmed regularly but this bushy rose really needed some pruning.

Barbara objected. "But it's so beautiful. This wild romantic plant, forming this niche at the wall, the perfect place for a bench, the perfect place for-"

She stopped. She was about to say 'for lovers' but found it very inapplicable. She searched for an alternative. She really tried to get her thoughts off these dangerous tracks.

"...well, for a picnic like this." She continued to rave about the huge blossoms, the bushy figure, the overwhelming scent and the cave it builds with this scent as well as with its branches.

Tommy just watched her delighted face and excited gestures. He had not imagined that Barbara would get so enthusiastic about this place. It was not that he did not thought she would dislike it but she seldomly got so openly excited about anything. She usually had seemed to enjoy things silently and for herself. _Like she's afraid of losing it by sharing._

Tommy promised to himself that he will share a proper picnic with Barbara in the near future. One on a blanket and with sandwiches and strawberries and champagne. _She will love it._

Not everybody loved this little hideaway with its intense rosy aura. The few women he had thought being worth to be brought here mostly had only interests in his Lordship and not in _the place_ they were snogging. Also he had Helen on his mind, who very much disliked the voluminous scent and mostly preferred the modern designer lounger she had bought for the garden. But Helen did not snog with him in the garden very often anyway.

While Barbara was talking about this place, the glasshouses and botanical gardens she had visited whenever possible, which was not very often, and while she was lavishly gesturing around with that enthusiastic smile she suddenly scratched herself on the thorns.

"Ouch, bloody hell, damn..." she cursed and sucked at the scratch.

Tommy had to suppress a smile when another quote came to his mind.

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"But he who dares not grasp the thorn / Should never crave the rose." he said.

"Oh, great, thank you, Sir." Barbara grumbled. "You've got a quote to every situation today, haven't you?"

Tommy chuckled. "Sorry, Barbara, do you need a plaster?"

"Nah, 't's okay."

"Actually I've spent so much time to read on the veranda at Howenstow and I was so lazy one day I've sat there I simply was unable to move myself. I did not want to leave my cosy seat so I've browsed my mother's book which had laid on the table close at hand. It's called "Famous Quotes". And some quotes stuck in my mind."

"Yeah, 'n' I believe you'll bless us in the future, won't you?" Barbara frowned.

"Probably yes." Tommy grinned back and crunched a cracker. He told her that the quote is by Anne Brontë. "You know her pen name?"

"No, but I believe you will enlighten me." She tried the cheese and she tried to distract herself from his delicately moving lips while he chewed.

"It's kind of funny, I think. It's _Acton Bell_. That reminds me of you." The grin he displayed was openly cheeky.

"...me?!"

"Well, you were born in Acton..." he started his explanation. "...and sometimes you are like a sounding bell, like Big Ben if I dare say so, especially when you are arguing."

"That's _not_ funny!" Barbara objected. She knew that she very unladylike could shout like a barrow boy when she needed to convince Tommy if he refused to perceive. His comparison was not really far-fetched. "And not at all polite."

Tommy's grin turned gentle. "But sometimes you also could be like a tiny little silver bell that tingles in the evening breeze. That is when you don't know if you're still in your comfort zone. Like now..."

"I'm not very much _out_ of _any_ comfort zone, Sir." Barbara hid herself behind her wine glass.

"And you're tingling." Tommy winked. He was well aware that he was making her blush.

"I'm _not_!"

"And you're stubborn."

"I'm absolutely _not_!"

"And when I continue to tease you, what actually gives me great pleasure at the moment, then soon the Big Ben will toll and you'll argue with me."

"Then you better not tease." Barbara grumbled with a smile in the corners of her mouth.

"But I _love_ to argue with you!" he laughed broadly. "It's always very productive."

"Oh, bollocks..." she took a sip of her wine.

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Wine, Rose and Bell - sounds like the name of a pub, eh? ;-)


	7. Missing Scenes

**Author's note:** Oh well, yes, I'm also happy about that recovered muse/inspiration/time. Thanks for the reviews so far. I hope that some more of those (at the moment) 90 readers will leave a note. Please read and review or comment or PM - whatever reaction, I'd love to read it.

Alright, let's see how those two go on.

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For a long while they sat in silence, from time to time picking something from the tray, each far away in their own thoughts.

Barbara mused about their last encounters. They had indeed not been very _unproductive_ in recent times. In fact they had been arguing about everything and nothing a lot. So much that Barbara sometimes thought that it might be better to split them up or to finally get promoted and lead her own team. Winston supported this decision anyway and already had asked her if she would put in a good word for him with Hillier so he, after his own promotion as Detective Sergeant, could go on working with Barbara and not with Lynley. He had said that Lynley would be barking too much recently.

Barbara had laughed it off. She had recognised it as well but she herself had become unbearable sometimes. Especially after a certain argue with her DI about some poncy pricks of a cricket team which _she_ had found highly suspicious. She had been in such a grumpy mood afterwards that she even had lashed out at poor Winnie for nothing. Barbara had started to think if she and Lynley were not as good a team as they had been. And she grew so tired of fighting with him.

_Something is wrong between us._ Barbara thought. _Lately there is a tension between us that has to be solved.  
_

She had been touchy to everything Lynley had said or done.

Barbara had no idea what origin this tension might have, she was not even sure if she dared to know. But she also did not want to be split up. If she was true to herself she was really happy that he was back home and everything would return to normal, even if it means they would go on fighting.

Without him at the office it was simply awkward at first, then it had turned and the work had become easier. It was the after work time when she had felt lonely. Having lunch or a beer after work with Lynley had become quite a regular thing. And now she had not been out for nearly the entire two weeks, not even when Winston had asked her for a pint or two. He had teased her that she would have secluded herself from the lower ranks now that she was acting DI but that was not true. It simply was not the same without their DI.

_In fact I've utterly missed him._ She startled as this truth hit her. She had avoided any thoughts in this direction during the last two weeks but indeed she had missed him.

She had missed his strong voice. She had missed the silent words as well as the shouted arguments when they had another encounter. She had missed his dark eyes - his pinching glares as well as the winking glances when they were joking. She had missed the work with him and the after work pints. She had even missed his calls in the morning when he ordered her to get up and be ready in ten minutes. She had missed his supporting hand in the small of her back when she was stumbling through the bushes on this disgusting crime scene last monday. She had missed their rides in his old car.

_In his _classic_ car._ she corrected herself. Sitting close to him, discussing cases, bantering, sensing him.

And she had missed his scent of cedarwood and spice. Once she had sneaked in his office only to take a sniff of it.

Barbara had not recognised that she unconsciously deeply inhaled that scent in question which was wafting from him and now she was staring at Tommy with a start.

_I never could tell him that I missed him that much!_

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Tommy had heard her deep breath and now was looking back into her face with a slight confusion.

In this comfortable silence before he had thought about their fights prior to his two weeks off. It was true, they had been arguing since they had been partnered. At the beginning of their working partnership it really was one against the other but rapidly it had turned into a very productive habit to exchange their different ways of thinking. Though lately it had shifted. He had become tired of fighting against Barbara. Though instead of stopping to object he even lashed out more. Every little difference was a reason to fight. Every little problem was a reason for a discussion. They truly had been in need of a break.

All the while Barbara also had seemed to get harsher, to argue more. _To be stronger perhaps?_ They had fought too much.

He had been sensitive to everything Barbara had said or done.

_Maybe we should split up?_ Tommy thought but it was not what he _truly_ wanted. _Maybe she should be promoted. Or maybe she also just needed a break. A holiday, some time off. Not just two at-home days but some _weeks_ to relax._

Tommy thought of his two lazy weeks in Cornwall where he had plenty of time to ride, time to walk, time to hang around in the sun, reading, thinking, relaxing, thinking. He actually had thought about asking Barbara to join him but because she probably would have declined it he did not ask.

But he truly had missed her there. _I did. Oh dear, indeed I _missed_ her._

She could have learned to ride. They could have walked the coast together. They could have spent the sunny days on the veranda, reading, sharing the silence, listening to the birds singing and his mother chatting.

Now that he thought of his mother he wondered about the looks she often had given him when they had talked. When he frequently had talked about his work he had certainly mentioned Barbara. Lady Asherton had given some good advice about his job but he also remembered her pensive glances when he had talked about _her_, their recent debates and Barbara's progress on the job.

_Barbara should be promoted. It is about time._

That's also what he had said to his mother who simply had answered that their team would be split up then which "could turn out to be better for the two of you. Maybe it is _time_ for the next step." She had not deepened that topic.

But that had been what _he_ did when he lazed around on the veranda and that was when he had surprised himself with the fact that he had missed her. He had deeply missed her for the remaining ten days of his holiday.

He had missed her lovely craggy voice. He had missed her barking when they disputed as well as the soft voice she soothed crime victims with (and him, on more than one occasion). He had missed her green eyes - her winking looks over the rim of a glass in a cheery pub as well as the death glares she seemed to save only for him. He had missed her roaring laughter and her little shy smiles. He had even missed her sharp remarks about whatever social topic she broods about all the time. He had missed her when he had waken up too early in the morning by a mislead phonecall that he thought was Barbara calling him to an emergency on a crime scene.

And he had missed her indescribable scent. That subtly intoxicating scent that lately almost drives him mad when they were riding to a crime scene in the closeness of his Bristol. That grounded odour of aloe vera with a hint of vanilla he now recognised through the roses' smell to be blessing his nose all the while they were sitting on the bench.

When he heard a deep breath Tommy looked up to the source of this scent only to see her staring at him with those big green eyes of hers.

_I can't tell her that I've missed her so deeply. I'd scare her off immediately!_

* * *

Some soundless seconds passed in which neither of them broke the eye contact nor did they move.

Barbara's heart raced. She felt the tension between them growing thicker.

_It was a bloody bad idea to come here. You know what you feel, Barb._

Tommy's breathing stopped. He felt the electricity between them converging to discharge.

_Talk, Tommy. Make her feel comfortable. Don't sit and stare like an idiot!_

He harrumphed. _Rule 31: Walk on the paths, not on the greens..._

"How has it been while I was absent?" he asked sort of randomly but still staring at her.

"I missed you." Barbara blurted out and immediately blushed. She looked away from his suddenly confused eyes without missing the flash of hope in them.

"Really, I truly had needed you." she said but that did not calm the waves of her troubled mind.

G_et yourself out of that trouble! Talk _clearly_ about work!_

"Ah, well, indeed, I kind of missed you at work." she rambled and tried to appear as unagitated as possible. "Hillier had put me into the role of acting DI but I'm only one half without you, I mean half as productive, like you said earlier, that thing with arguing, y'know..."

Her voice trailed off.

Tommy was baffled. _Did she really miss me? Wait - acting DI?!  
_

"You were acting DI?! Since when did you pass your exam?! And why didn't you tell? This is great! So you'll get your promotion soon?"

His smile became radiant and showed his delight for Barbara but inwardly he thought that he finally did absolutely _not_ like his team to be split up.

_ I don't want another DS. I absolutely don't want to be separated from _Barbara_._

"No, I don't want to split up the team." Barbara flatly answered.

_I don't want to work with others. I want to go on working with _you_. I don't want to _leave_ you._ "By the way, you know how miserable I cooperate with others."

"But your career... you don't need to stay Detective Sergeant the rest of your work life. You'd earn a lot more - not only fame and credit but also more money!" Tommy winked. "And you wouldn't need to get used to a new DI because _you_ would be this new DI."

"Nonsense!"

"Don't refuse that promotion just because you want to stay with me." Tommy tried to joke. He failed. His voice had become gentle.

"Yeah, but it's _my_ own decision, isn't it?" Barbara murmured redfaced. He had hit home.

"We could still meet after work." He said it with another wink but he meant it. _We could date._

With a proud expression on his face he added "Oh, how I would love to have seen you leading the team."

"Nah, don't be ridiculous, Sir!" Barbara embarrassedly looked at the ground. _We never would date after work, your Lordship._

"I know you were great as acting DI." Tommy smiled at her.

"...oh, bollocks!" Barbara said and took a sip of her wine.

* * *

.

* * *

...


	8. Time to go home

**Author's note: **I'm very pleased to see more stories and writers distracting me from my own writing ;-) Anyway - here is another chapter. It's funny to see similar (or nearly the same) parts in other stories ;-)

Please R&R - thank you!

* * *

...

* * *

Displaying a broad grin on his face Tommy picked another piece of cheese.

"So, I've learned you've been readin' a lot, Sir?" Barbara asked munching a cracker. She had to divert the topic. Talking about her or a promotion she did not really want for stupid reasons was too embarrassing. "What else did you read?"

"Apart from this quotes-book?" Tommy easily saw through her attempt to change the subject but he played along. He welcomed it too. "Well, Chaucer, Hemmingway, a biography of Marlowe, errm... Shakespeare of course..."

"Of course..." Barbara repeated ironically.

"You know, Shakespeare is not only good for annoying young pupils, Barbara. Besides he was a great writer."

"Yeah, sure." she rolled her eyes. "Saint William..."

"Have you ever read, or seen on the stage, his dramas? Romeo and Juliet? Much Ado About Nothing? A Midsummer Night's Dream? Wonderful...!" he enthused.

Barbara shook her head.

"Then I'll have to take you to the theatre soon. You'll love it."_ Champagne, an evening dress, a quiet private loge... _Tommy could picture it very well.

_Yes, sure, me - at the theatre. With all that pomp and splendour. That's absurd! _"Weren't there also movies 'bout these plays?" Barbara hoped.

"Yes, sure, but you need to see it on stage. It's so much-"

"- _different_, Sir." Barbara cut his words. "Please don't say _better_."

"But actually it _is_!" Tommy insisted and listed what he thought to be better on stage and he waved her arguments away until Barbara gave up.

"Phew!" She rolled her eyes.

"What?"

"So, who's stubborn now?"

"_I'm_ not!"

Barbara laughed out loud. "Oh, yes, you _are_!"

He gave a mock grumble.

"Hm." he muttered and smiled at her.

They continued talking about films and theatre, Shakespeare in particular, dramas in general, the opera and music.

It did not surprise that they had different preferences but that kept the conversation going. It could be counted on the fingers of one hand how often Barbara went to the theatre and she had never been to the opera but Tommy on the other hand never joined a rock concert or frequently went to the cinema. It was similar with arts. While Tommy had been to the museums very often Barbara had been there only way back with school class.

But they both agreed on the dislike of so called Modern Arts.

"Colors on canvas..." Barbara snorted which made Tommy laugh.

He watched her still sitting a bit stiff on the bench.

* * *

At that point he told her to relax.

"It's such a pleasant night - in pleasant company - and you sit there like in front of the headmaster. Am I that authoritative?"

He meant it as a joke but he was truly concerned. He dearly hoped she would not be stressed in his presence.

"Not at all." Barbara laughed. "Not when you're wearin' sweatpants, Sir."

Tommy winced. "Oh, Barbara, and would you please call me Tommy? I'm getting annoyed of you Sir-ing me all the time."

"...umm..." Barbara did not know how to answer.

_I can't call him Tommy. _she thought._ I wish I could with all my heart but calling him Sir prevents me from any useless hope of closeness, it's my safety barrier!_

"I don't like this barrier between us, Barbara." Tommy said with a soft voice. _This bloody social barrier you foster all the time._

"Especially when we are so close, well, so in private like we are at the moment. You can go on calling me Sir when we're at the office, if you like." _But not now. Not here._

He grinned lopsidedly._  
_

"...umm, well, I'll try, Sir." Barbara hesitantly answered.

After she had earned a raised eyebrow for this 'Sir' she added an emphasised "...Tommy." and rolled her eyes. Her lips were smiling.

_This is dangerous ground._ she thought.

Tommy grinned contentedly.

He was highly irritated when she suddenly got up from the bench.

"What...?"

"Well, I have to..."

_Don't go!_ Tommy's mind screamed. His face showed a deep disappointment.

Barbara's face flushed. "I'm umm... I'll be right back." she muttered and turned to the stairs.

* * *

She climbed the stairs slowly, his eyes were following her figure.

_Just to the toilet._ Tommy thought with relief while his stare was pinned to her back. _Oh, dear, this is a very strange night._

He secretly ogled her well shaped bum and fantasised about the softness of her hips. His thoughts stroked the curves of her thighs. He catched the brief glimpse of her white skin of the small of her back when she lifted her arm to grab the handrail and with this movement lifted the hem of her top. Too soon she had reached the top of the stairs and crossed the balcony.

Their eyes met for a second.

_She copped me!_ Tommy's face flushed.

He leant back and stared into the dark orange sky again. It would not be getting very much darker on a saturday night in London. Maybe because it had been so hot during the day and though it had not really turned cooler after sunset the people became more active as usual in the night.

_...getting active - hmmm..._ Tommy blushed when he caught himself having such thoughts about Barbara again. Perhaps he should not get active in that blushing way but he could tell her how he had missed her. If he dared. He could tell her about his feelings for her. If he finds the courage. He could steal a kiss. He chuckled. _Oh, you fool, Tommy, you are afraid of a negative response. You'll never do such things. You did not even have the guts to invite her to Howenstow and that was when you still thought she was just a very close friend to you. _And he still did not know if _he_ was more than a friend to_ her._

_What happens here, old boy? _he asked himself.

Seeing too less stars to count he finally closed his eyes.

Her scent still lingered in the air. Still he had her figure in his vision. Still her eyes were on his mind. Still he heard her saying that she missed him. And he could not get those improper thoughts off his brain. He smiled. Deep inside of him something very instinctively stirred.

* * *

Barbara went to the toilet and refreshed herself a bit. Some cold water in her face was more than just a relief from the summer heat, it also helped her to cool down from this strange situation in Tommy's garden.

She dried her face and watched herself in the mirror above the sink.

A glowing face looked back. _Some wrinkles around the eyes... furrows above the brows..._ She was brooding too much, she told herself. And tonight really is a pleasant night. Out there on the bench it was a very comfortable though indeed tensed situation.

Not five hours ago she had been sitting alone in her hot and stuffy flat - tired, bored, lonely.

Thinking of him.

_Actually I..._ Barbara hesitated to think it to the end. _I knew he was back in London and I couldn't wait until monday to see him. And I came here without the slightest idea how to justify it._

And now she was sitting there in that truly romantic spot in his garden, drinking wine with this truly handsome man, talking with him about culture and stuff. Feeling entirely good with it.

_What happens here?_ she wondered. She suddenly knew the origin of her glowing face.

"Am I flirting with him?" she asked her reflection but shook her head immediately. _Is _he_ flirting with _me_? Do I want this? Do I _like_ this?  
_

She recalled his caressing looks. She re-felt his involuntary touches. His dark voice echoed in her ears.

_'Pleasant company' he had said._

"Too pleasant." she whispered into the mirror. "This is becoming too dangerous and will lead to an enormous disaster. Get yourself out of it, old girl."

She shook her head once more as if to shrug off this feeling of strangeness and left the bathroom. On her way back to the balcony door she glanced at the big clock in the corridor.

It was a quarter to three in the morning.

_Hell!_ she thought. _I should go home._

* * *

.

* * *

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	9. Shooting Star

**Author's note:** Well, the night is still very young, isn't it? Like hell I'll let her go home now ;-)

Thanks for all your reviews and special thanks to Cats who listened patiently to my written grunts and whose answers gave me a little moral uplift. I think you know what I mean ;-)

Now let's have another peep into the garden...

* * *

...

* * *

She returned to the balcony and stopped at the balustrade, having a look down into the dark garden.

There he was, _her_ DI, sitting outstretched on his bench, facing the sky, his eyes closed. He looked very relaxed. His arms laid on the backrest, his legs were spread. His naked feet looked very unfamiliar to Barbara. His ever so decently dressed Lordship in sweatpants and barefoot - what a lovely view.

Her gaze wandered from the bare feet across his legs and shortly stopped, leaving her face flushed and her hands shaking before her gaze continued over his belly. It now was not sucked in anymore and Barbara smiled when she realized it. Luckily it was no sixpack in either way* but still adorable. His chest though really was broad and his arm muscles well shaped but both were not overly built up.

The weather was still very warm and his neck glittered with a light covering of sweat. Barbara felt the want to dip her nose under his chin and kiss the sweat away.

"Hell..." she whispered and tried to whisk this thought aside. _And besides he needs a shave._

His chin was stubbly shaded. His hair was dried by now but still a bit messy. The sight stirred her blood. _He is _so_ adorable._

Her gaze drifted back to where she thought had been a little bulge before but her eyes must have betrayed her.

_I'm mad!_ she thought when she turned to descend the stairs and returned to the bench.

* * *

Tommy smiled and turned to her when he heard her plonking on the bench next to him.

Barbara completely forgot the time when their conversation went on without hesitation, picking up the previous topic of arts and drifting over to London's new artists' quarter Hackney Wick and urban planning and architecture in general.

After a little while when she talked about the constant changing of several quarters and how her childhood areas had changed over the years Barbara unconsciously slipped off her sandals.

Tommy was amazed to see that those complicatedly corded looking sandals were closed with a simple snap fastener. It looked quite practical and he thought that despite their whizzy appearance those shoes still were very barbara-ish.

Unlike her painted toe nails.

He could not stop being highly irritated by this view.

Absentmindedly he poured the last drops of the bottle into their glasses. They now were talking about parks and landscapes and so it was easy to leave the british island and talk about the south of France or vineyards in the Tuscany.

Barbara found herself in the comfortable mood to talk of one of her two trips out of the UK but Tommy could not quite follow her words at some point.

She constantly wetted her lips sipping the wine and it distracted him. She was smiling and laughing and waving around in the air with her glass and without really hearing what she was saying he smiled back. Her eyes were winking with joy. Those eyes were so green, so deep like the sea on the southern shore of Cornwall on a sunny windless day, he could dive into her gaze. He nodded at some remark she said about italian vintners without really knowing what she had said. Her skin was still lightly shimmering and Tommy wanted to slip his hands across it.

_If I would lick her throat it would taste salty._ Tommy blushed and diverted his eyes to the now empty tray between them.

He needed to get some cold water into his face. _...or better put some ice cubes in my brain._

Without a warning he stood and grabbed the empty tray.

"I'll bring this in." he explained. "And get us another bottle. I don't want you to run dry."

He pointed with his chin to her now nearly empty glass.

"Don't leave, I'll be right back." Tommy winked.

"...oh, tush!" Barbara answered with a happy grin and took another sip of her wine.

* * *

He climbed the stairs and wondered if she would be sliding her eyes over his back like he had done before.

She did.

Barbara still was amused about Tommy's naked feet padding on the white marble of the stairs and she had very inappropriate thoughts about his bum in those tightly clad sweatpants so she blushed a bit.

_We shouldn't have a second bottle. I might become too unbent and start to act on my thoughts._

She chuckled nervously because she feared that when he would be back in the rosy niche she might want to try to touch his upper arms simply to be able to feel his skin, to feel his muscles underneath moving like they did now when he was carrying the tray. At the moment he arrived at the top of the stairs and before he turned to go inside their eyes met for the split of a second.

_He copped me!_ Barbara's face flushed and she quickly turned to watch the sky.

_There are so less stars to be seen when it is lit by the never sleeping city._ she thought. It was a really wonderful evening, or night to be correct, and she truly did not wish it would end because at daylight she would be her old self again and he would be back as far away as he had always been.

_As far away as those stars up above._ she sadly mused, immediately drowned out by the little voice in her head that had mocked her the whole evening. _Sure that far?_ Wasn't all this arguing at the office just an outlet for this conflict of feelings she had been bearing for a while now? Isn't she still hoping that he was feeling the same? Or at least something similar? Didn't she missed him? Didn't she realised how much she had physically wanted him to be back in London?

_...physically - hmmm..._ Barbara blushed when she caught herself having such thoughts about Tommy again. _This night there could happen so much more._ She shook her head and thought that it perhaps would be better to stick with a conversation rather than becoming physical though this was what was _very_ present in her mind. She was well aware of that fact that in recent times she had had some decidedly adult fantasies about the Inspector.

Right in that moment she witnessed a shooting star. _Him!_ she wished impulsively and gave a short ironic chuckle. _Don't be ridiculous, old girl. As if he ever..._ She promised herself that the next will be her last glass of wine and then she would call for a cab. Barbara told herself that she should get home and have a cold shower.

For sitting more comfortable she put her feet on the bench and leaned her side on the backrest with her face still up to the sky. It was still hot and she wiped her nape not aware that meanwhile Tommy had arrived back on the balcony.

* * *

He had brought the tray and the empty bottle back into the kitchen and then had gone to the bathroom.

Splashing some cold water in his face was refreshing. He watched himself in the mirror.

_Gods, I really do not like those grey strands of hair. __I'm getting old. _he sadly thought while sloppily combing his hair with his fingers. _Well, but not old enough for..._

His eyes widened at the thought of the woman in his garden.

"For what, old boy? For being a fool?" He shook his head and dried his face when he recognised that he had his last shave some twenty hours ago. He scratched his chin watching his reflection. _I need a shave. She might prefer... oh, no, stop that, Tommy-boy!_

He could not believe that he had tried to flirt with her. It was not easy flirting with such a close friend who probably came around with totally innocent intentions. He scolded himself. _We should stick to casual conversation. And I truly should keep my thoughts off those dangerous roads they tend to take. But she...  
_

Tommy swallowed. "Shit! She is definitely too sexy tonight."

And he knew she had been watching him climbing the stairs. _Maybe she liked what she had seen._

Angry with himself that he did not see just his colleague and good friend out there but has recognised her as a woman worth to be treated like a lady he chucked the towel to the floor and went to the kitchen to get another bottle of ice cold white wine.

_This cosy get-together could go on until sunrise!_ Tommy thought after a glance at the watch on his fridge. With a sigh he returned to the balcony.

"Shit!" he whispered again. His eyes fell on Barbara who sat there relaxed with her feet on the bench where moments before the tray had been. One leg was stretched and the other was bent and rested against the backrest. She had her head tilted to the side and up, facing the sky. He had come back at just the right time when Barbara wiped her nape with closed eyes. Her simple gesture made his knees weak so he had to force himself to break free from this adorable view and from his grip on the balustrade and while he climbed down the stairs he waved the bottle.

"Here we go again." he laughed somewhat restrained.

* * *

Barbara opened her eyes and watched Tommy descending the stairs.

_Delicious!_ she thought and was shocked by it. She absolutely did not mean the wine in his hands.

She pulled up her stretched leg to give him some space to sit on the bench and wrapped her arms around her knees.

The cork popped when he opened the wine and it felt like he had opened Pandora's box.

_Oh hell,_ she thought. _We really shouldn't have this second bottle._

* * *

_._

* * *

...

* * *

* In german we call a muscled belly a "Waschbrettbauch" (which is translated word for word "wash board belly"). Some have adapted the english word "sixpack" but humorously "sixpack" is used for a beer belly as well because that is where all those sixpacks of beer landed ;-)


	10. Coffee Years

**Author's note:** Well, what wonders a little kick in the ass could do... I finally filled the spaces between my notes with words, turned scribbles into sentences and reworked the order so it makes real sense, created a more fluent conversation and simply felt better. I've nearly finished this story and just need some more time to polish the last chapters. Anyway, one already is presentable so here it is...

Enjoy!

Oh, and _please!_ leave a review or message - I'd be very happy! :-)

* * *

**Another note:** You don't really think they get _drunk_ and rampant after a 75 cl bottle of white wine, do you? Additionally when they will have finished the second one a very expanded time will have passed so it will be about one bottle each in the time of one night. Well, it might let their tongues loosen a bit... Oh, and yes - this story will end in the morning ;-)

* * *

...

* * *

"So, you've been shopping with Haddiyah?" he asked while refilling their glasses.

Barbara chuckled. "Nah, not really. _She_ went shopping 'n' _I_ accompanied her. I can't _flit from shop to shop just like a butterfly._" She winked at that quote. "Well, in fact that's what I did but I mostly carried her bags, said yes or no from time to time, paid the multiple coffees 'n' constantly watched my legs grow heavy."

She leaned back a little, propped on her elbows on the armrest, and took a sip from her wine.

"Shopping is really stressful. 'specially for your feet." she sighed and wiggled her toes.

Without an answer Tommy put away his wine onto the armrest, reached for her foot and started to massage it gently. After the first shock about this Barbara relaxed and even slumped a little more backwards. Eventually she also let her head fall back.

_This is _so_ good._ she thought.

He watched her. She had her eyes closed now and a very relaxed smile played around the corners of her mouth while roses framed her face.

Feeling extremely at ease she told him about some petty little incidents of this day like being nudged into the changing room to try something on that Haddiyah had chosen or when the two _girls_ carried out valuations for passing men while eating ice cream - this is where Tommy chuckled silently - and finally the trivial thing of washing her new clothes and watching them dry rapidly in the evening's heat.

Tommy watched her and listened. Her roseframed face and her heaving chest bewitched his mind. With all of his willpower he kept his hands from skidding over her ankle and caressing her calf. He caught himself imagining making love to her on a bed of rose petals and blushed deeply when he became aware of his unquestionably rising desire.

Barbara savoured all his touches which at some point had become more sensual. Eventually she stopped talking. It was no massage anymore but more of a firm and gentle stroke. Then he caressed her foot and ankle with only the tips of his fingers. A frisson of excitement washed over her. She sighed barely audible and imagined him skidding gently over her and making love to her on this bench.

With a sudden jolt Barbara pulled her foot away from him. Her arousal was undeniable.

_This is _not_ good._ she thought.

When she looked in his face Barbara was shocked about the mirrored desire being so evident in Tommy's eyes.

* * *

Tommy harrumphed and quickly took a gulp from his wine. He shifted in his seat to gain some time to calm down. After most of his blush had lessened he pointed his stubbly chin to her feet and with a still slightly husky voice he wondered aloud about the coloured nails, trying to make it sound casual and trying to resume the talk.

"Oh this..." Her voice was a bit shaky, too. "Haddiyah did it. She had her fun finding the right colour to compare with this top."

Barbara shook her head partly in disbelief but mostly to get rid of the image of Tommy's eyes still burning in her mind.

"That young girl seems to have a good influence on you. I've never before seen you wearing something so very female."

_Oh, what am I saying?_ Tommy mentally kicked himself. He feared that Barbara would take it the wrong way. She blessed him with one of her stern looks saying something like 'You know yourself that you're talking nonsense, Sir, don't you.'

If he would not be sweating already he would have started now. He ran his fingers through his hair. "Ah, don't get me wrong, but usually you're wearing something more... functional, I mean... jeans and T-shirt, I... umm..."

He could see her now stifling a gentle grin. "I'm getting myself even deeper in trouble, don't I?" he asked.

"You do." Barbara laughed fondly.

"What I try to say is that I'm rather amazed seeing you in those female clothes." Tommy went on searching for the right words. "This still sounds nasty. I don't mean that you don't look... well... oh, for heaven's sake, I keep my mouth shut now."

He took another gulp and stared into the darkness of the garden.

_You're a bloody idiot, Tommy._ he fumed inside. Where had his eloquent self gone to?

Silence veiled the rosy alcove once more. After a while Tommy could hear Bearbara's faint voice.

"I used to wear those... well... _female_ clothes. You even could have seen me in a dress."

Her mind seemed to be far away. Some seconds passed before he dared to ask equally silent.

"When did you stop?"

Before Barbara answered she wrapped her arms around her knees again.

"It was when I joined the CID and was finally hit with its male and macho truth. You know, those _functional_ clothes simply are... well, not very _female_. At some point I opted for jeans 'n' shirts." Something like a snort left her mouth. "And sturdy footwear... quite handy sometimes... mmmh, well... You see, it comes with the job."

She sighed. "Along with so many other loads."

She stopped and went silent. He knew that there was something more she wanted to say but he did not probe. Tommy sensed that she had to come to it by herself. But she did not.

"It comes with the job." She nodded, more to herself, and sighed again. Now it was her turn to take a gulp from her wine.  
" 't's not always easy for a woman in the forces."

* * *

Barbara paused for a moment to rearrange her thoughts. Her memories wandered back to the time when she started as a PC and her Inspector had condemned her to making coffee, and doing 'women's jobs' like recording parking violators. Later when she joined the CID she had found out that it made no difference if they were wearing a uniform or plain clothes. Her first DI let her stay in the office, again mostly making coffee or bringing sandwiches from the canteen and poring over files and boring CCTV footage, only called out when a female officer had been needed but always and every day she had been forced to listen to the men's dirty jokes and worse. At some point Barbara had decided that a nice dress or a pretty blouse were not useful at all to integrate in this men's world.

Tommy was worried when the hiatus stretched and wondered if he had said something wrong or something too personal, above all he was deeply concerned if he had stirred memories too hurtful for Barbara.

But then she found her voice again and told him about her, like she named it, 'coffee years'.

"Well, I finally found a way to get used to it all and to ... vanish somehow." she closed. "I found my place at the Met."

_I found you at the Met._

"Besides, later I had my parents who brought some distraction, huh?" She laughed bitterly and dipped her nose in her glass.

* * *

.

* * *

...


	11. Serious

**Author's notes:** Ah, that delay was not scheduled. Anyway, let's go on talking. The night is still young ;-)

Thanks for all four reviews on the previous chapter!

* * *

...

* * *

Without being interrupted by Tommy who listened intently she told about the disease her brother had suffered and the difficulties she had with her parents throughout that time and more so after his death and later on, shortly before they had died.

She let pass some long moments of silence, staring into nothing and sipping absentminded on her wine, then she started speaking again still without looking at him.

"I was at a loss when my brother died but my parents had been totally devastated. Then, when they both were... umm... not healthy anymore, I was very busy with job and care and all - well... _nursing_." she emphasised the last word by nearly spitting it out. "...and I had no time for myself and friends. And when Mom and Dad were both finally gone most friends were, too. I was rather alone. Just a few are left now which I mostly knew since childhood but meanwhile many of them are married and have children. I seldomly see them. Young parents tend to redeploy interests. 'n believe me,_ I_ don't like to talk about children's poo the whole day..."

She rolled her eyes and Tommy smiled sympathetically even though she was still looking somewhere else but in his face.

Barbara was glad to share it with him. He had been there and had seen her parents and especially had witnessed the dementia of her mother. He even had helped finding her once. But Barbara always had kept most of her shields up and rarely dared to talk to him about her feelings. Now she felt relieved.

"I was a lucky person having one particular friend by my side who helped me through the deepest despair then - though I never let him fully participate in my feelings." _You were the beacon that lit the way._ She now intensely looked him straight in the eye. "Thank you."

Tommy nodded. There was no need for words on her statement.

"Well, 'n' additionally there's always some bloody case that keeps my thoughts busy, isn't it." she smiled halfheartedly but it did not reach her eyes.

* * *

"I know there was a lot of hurt in your life but you should always share your burdens with someone. It makes them lighter to bear." Tommy said.

_And I was glad to listen._ His eyes mirrored his thoughts but then he decided to offer it clearly.

"You can always share it with me like I shared with you, well, a bit... a tiny bit... I wasn't sharing at all, was I?"

Tommy placed an insecure look on Barbara who smiled understandingly.

"Nah, you might not've shared many words, but sometimes your behaviour very clearly tells how you feel." _You've been an open book sometimes._

Tommy apologetically smiled at Barbara. _You're the only one who ever read me._

He knew he seldomly had talked with her about his own personal problems. He mostly had barked at Barbara when he was in one of his foul moods and he only had given her little pieces of what had made him upset. It probably had been his upbringing that kept him from sharing his feelings. Something silly like 'outward appearance'. And sometimes he simply had relied on her friendship, had even took it for granted she would be having nothing else to do but to offer him her couch when he had appeared at her doorstep in the middle of the night without a warning.

_I was a bloody fool._ Tommy thought.

_I was glad to listen._ Barbara sympathetically smiled at Tommy.

They let some more minutes drop by in companionable silence. Barbara felt that Tommy wanted to tell her more so she waited patiently for him to find a start.

_There is a world out there._ she thought.

* * *

After one more gulp from his wine Tommy suddenly started to talk about the different times he had had with Helen when they had been married. When he felt that he should have been happier but never fully was. He thought it should have bothered him more that they both had their own daily routines and opposite schedules. Only when she had left him he had started to find a way to rescue their marriage. Helen had hated it when he was called to a case in the middle of the night, when he had stayed out nights with chasing murderers, when he had been sent away on a case with his Sergeant for days, having to stay overnight.

Tommy told Barbara about a certain argument in their kitchen when Helen had once again obviously not understood that it had been, and still _is_, his job to leave when called to a case.

_Or when someone was in need of a friend._

"She had been fuming and grumbling that I'd be spending more time with you than with her." Tommy lopsidedly grinned. "Which was true, wasn't it?"

Barbara chose not to answer and instead hid her face behind her glass once more.

Barbara had of course not observed all that had been going on in Tommy's world, especially not in his marriage. _My Mom's just passed away, I suddenly was all alone, and to cap it all this bloody case occupied me._ she remembered.

Tommy went on. "She said something to me like all of it would be more understandable if I'd be having an affair with you."

Tommy chuckled bitterly remembering that fight with Helen.

"She had said it as if an affair with you would be inconceivable." _Which it isn't at all._ "We weren't sharing many thoughts at that time but I think she had been truly jealous."

Now Barbara snorted deprecatorily. "Yeah! Jealous of me... That's ridiculous, Sir!"

Shaking her head she dipped her nose into her glass.

* * *

"Tommy..." he pleaded softly.

"Mh." Barbara muttered, turned and put her feet back on the ground.

_Tommy..._ she thought but dared not to say it.

Her toes played with the grass underneath and Tommy watched it with delight. He thought that it had not been that ridiculous at all that his late wife had been jealous of Barbara. Thinking back and being honest to himself Helen had all good reasons because Tommy had welcomed the distraction by the case and of Barbara being around him. It gave him an excuse to avoid to deal with the problems in his marriage. Like always.

_And after all it is absolutely _not_ ridiculous to have an affair with this crazy woman._ Tommy thought. _Well, a relationship, that is..._

He sat on the edge of the bench and crossed the ankles of his stretched legs.

_In fact it would probably be very nice to have an affair with this man._ Barbara mused. _Handsome, sensual, well, and most likely platonic towards me._

Barbara sighed and shook her head. She watched his naked feet and wondered why he had told her this story now. She had always avoided talking about Helen. First, she did not want to hurt Tommy's feelings by stirring memories, second, she had always felt awkward in Helen's presence, they never would have become friends, so talking about her would have become awkward too, and third, she had sensed that there had been something standing between Tommy and his wife and that was not allowed to mention openly.

_Who was I to talk about that?_ Barbara would never dare to put the friendship between him and her on such a level.

Tommy had always seen this awkwardness Barbara had felt with Helen and had mostly avoided to talk about her thus avoiding miserable feelings for Barbara. Well, and if he was honest to himself he had to admit that he did not want to stir those memories for his own sake, to avoid miserable feelings for himself. But now he realised that it felt good sharing it with someone, especially sharing it with Barbara who listened closely and was not at all embarrassed.

* * *

.

* * *

...


	12. Still Serious

.**  
**

* * *

...

* * *

Seeing that Barbara was not embarrassed at all but rather interested and not just listening for the sake of being polite Tommy continued.

"Looking back I think Helen and I... we've been friends, nothing more. Well, best friends but _mostly_ nothing more. We've had our time when we were in love but I think it was a short period. It wasn't meant to last. Not even when we've tried for the second time. We still had our different daily routines and it mostly had been... well..." _...sexual needs? _

He was silent for a while._ She was alone, I was alone, we were still married after all. We've met simply..._ "...out of habit I'd say. We've never reached a love-level again like it had been at the beginning."

He paused again.

"I hadn't realised it then, or actually didn't _want_ to realise it. We were _married_. Full stop! It _had_ to work." he sighed and shook his head, staring up into the sky. "Realisation just slowly crept into my brain. Something between us wasn't working right anymore."

_And she even started to make jokes about 'my whatever-she-said Sergeant Havers' and pitied me for being stuck with _Havers_ in some tiny mobile home. _

"She had hit me deeply with some remarks about my friends."

By the cautious glance he shot at her Barbara could tell that he was talking about her.

Tommy sighed.

"Before she died we hadn't had the time to sort it out, but I guess, or merely hope, we'd felt the same about our relationship. Well, we'll never know for sure now, will we?"

He showed a bitter smile. "But anyway, when she was... shot..." he swallowed and suddenly remembered another shot. He searched for Barbara's eyes as if to make sure she was there and alive. "I've lost one of my best friends."

Barbara reached over and stroked his upper arm in a gentle encouraging manner. It had come out of the blue and she immediately was shocked about her own boldness, about the contact, so she retrieved her hand and crossed her arms in front of her chest.

Tommy's skin prickled where she had touched him. Though he told himself that she must have meant it simply as a friendly and reassuring gesture it was very clear to him _who_ it was who had placed this caress on his arm.

He cleared his throat and smiled at Barbara._  
_

"Someone then told me that there would be a world out there." he said. "I think I finally understand." _You're my anchor to the real world._

They shared another deep look without words. In their memories both were back on that bench on the hill.

"Hm." Barbara nodded and took a sip from her wine.

Despite their serious conversation and all of Tommy's confessions her thoughts had quickly turned when she had found herself drowning in his dark eyes again.

* * *

Tommy catched himself bathing in the green of her eyes and his thoughts turned to Cornwall's green and pleasant hills. Before he could do something stupid he quickly went on talking.

His mother had always endorsed his support for Barbara. She had been happy that her son had found a loyal friend and she had liked Barbara from the first moment they met.

"Even when it had been a little awkward on both sides." he winked. He told Barbara that his mother always thought of her as a good grounded influence on her son. Someone who talked back, someone who did not care about his title or money, someone who soothed him.

"I soothed you?" Barbara asked doubtfully. _What is he trying to say?_ "With insubordination?"

"Bollocks." Tommy said and shot her one of her 'Oh, please!'-glances. "You soothe me with being so grounded. Artless. And you... I don't know..."

He raked his hair unsure what to say that did not sound awkward or trite. "...you are so _you_."

_And I am so dim-witted sometimes._ he thought and took a sip from his wine. And Daze had let him feel her own opinion on that matter when he had been there the previous two weeks.

Tommy told Barbara that Daze, perhaps because of her problematic relationship to her son, perhaps because of the general differences she had with Helen, always had kept some slight distance towards his wife. For his mother's liking, as sophisticated as she might be, Helen always had been _too_ distinguished, a little more posh and even stiffer than Tommy.

"More posh? Is that possible? So you both were quite a match after all, weren't you?" Barbara chuckled, trying to push the conversation to some easier point.

"Not as much as I wanted us to be." Tommy let go a deep sigh. "In fact now, looking back, I think as lovers we didn't match at all."

And Helen had made too many comments about Barbara and poked fun at Tommy about his friendship to his DS. But he never would tell her _that_.

"Say, wasn't it a certain DS who talked me into this?" Tommy joked.

Both remembered a conversation on a window sill when Tommy had been in one of his moods and totally distracted from their current case by his thoughts about Helen and Barbara had spelled it out for him that he loved Helen.

"I didn't _talk_ you into this, Sir." she objected. _But I should've kept my mouth shut anyway._

"Well, probably not." he agreed with a nod. _I talked myself into this.  
_

He said it aloud that he probably was talking himself into this relationship with Helen. "I probably had mixed up friendship with love."

Tommy shrugged his shoulders.

* * *

He shot a sideglance over to his sometimes so insubordinate Sergeant Havers, to the crazy stubborn woman next to him, to the fierce, strawberry haired lady.

_Barbara. _He pictured her when she had leaned against the stem of the chestnut tree in his garden, her eyes on him like she had tried to seduce him. And how he suddenly could tell her things he never would have dared to share with anyone. _Yes, this feels quite different. I don't feel 'just friendship' towards Barbara. I already love her._

Tommy smiled when he recognised the little rosy blush on her cheeks as if she had heard his thoughts..

While pretending to look out into the garden Barbara tried to hide her sideglances to Tommy, to his poncy Lordship, to the eloquently handsome man next to her, to her sometimes so bossy DI. _He's not mine._ she scolded herself. _And did he not just gave a hint that their friendship should remain a friendship?_

Barbara recalled the drops that ran down his chest when he stood in the middle of his living room with nothing on but a towel, a smug smile in his eyes that showed how he liked to be undressed by her looks. She swallowed and felt her cheeks heaten up. And what sort of things she suddenly could talk about without being embarrassed to the bone. _Well, it seems like it's already too late for 'just friendship'. I already _love_ him._

Just to say something and to take up the thread of their conversation she admitted that she maybe _did_ play a little initial role in his relationship with Helen.

"...but I'm probably the worst advisor when it comes to relationships."

"Don't say that, Barbara." Tommy said with some indignation. "You know that's bullshit."

Barbara cringed by his nontypical choice of words and turned her face to his.

He smiled reassuringly. "You're witty. You're strong. And your instincts are good and reliable." His voice died away. _Maybe it is not quite so clear when it comes to your own needs, your own emotions._

Tommy wanted to take her hand and squeeze it but thought better of it and stopped halfway, so he just dropped his hand on the bench between them.

Barbara decided to keep her mouth shut. She felt a little awkward with his compliments and kept her flushed face away from his. And she was well aware of his hand so close to her.

"You're always a good advisor. It always comes from your heart." Tommy said gently. "You're grounded and realistic. And you've been right then - I _did_ love Helen, though for a working marriage I should've been _in love_ with her. Which I wasn't. Well..."

He stopped talking when a clear thought formed in his head. _I think I'm in love with _you_._

He harrumphed, then raised his glass with just the remains of some white wine to Barbara. "Here's to you!"

Silently she drank a toast to him. _If you'd ever know._

* * *

.

* * *

...


	13. Dawn

.

* * *

...

* * *

After this toast they sat for a while in silence until a bird in one of the sycamores started to chirp.

Unnoticed by the two the time had passed by, the wine had disappeared and the dark nightly sky was replaced by the pastel blue and rosy shades of another summer day on its first steps into light.

Like on cue Barbara yawned.

The sky lit up and like the night and their conversation this meeting had soon to come to its end.

_It shouldn't end now._ Tommy thought although he was tired himself. He searched for a good reason to prolong her presence. _Oh, boy, she's tired, let her go home..._

_I don't want to go home._ Barbara thought but knew that there was no good reason to stay longer. Though she thought that they could go on talking forever and a day.

She slipped into her sandals and then got up to have a stretch.

Tommy shamelessly admired her now uncovered belly. He also stood and felt a sudden urge to embrace her. He nearly put his hands around her waist but then changed his mind, turned and laboriously put away his glass.

"You leave?" he asked casually and added with a chuckle "Just yet?"

He took the flower he had picked yesterday evening and in an unconscious movement dipped his nose into the blossom.

"It's getting late, well, _early_ in the morning." Barbara laughed nervously.

He stood too near. She heard him sniffing at that rose which was a gesture so sweet that it almost made her knees go weak.

_Oh, man, you don't even know what you're doin'..._ she thought. "I think I need a little nap. Had too less sleep this night, hadn't I."

For a second they stood very close and it looked like they would be going to hug each other. The seriousness of their conversation made room for a different seriousness, a tension that had nothing to do with words. In this second their eyes locked and seemed to burn into the other's soul.

Barbara's eyes faintly noticeable widened.

Tommy's pupils dilated visibly.

For this second they seemed to communicate without a word, that they both wanted this night not to end. They silently agreed hat they both wanted to go on with this exchange. They both wanted to hug, to embrace, to touch each other. They both wanted to extend their newly built mental link into a physical connection.

But the second was gone and Barbara blinked and placed her empty glass on the bench. She did not believe what she thought she had read in his look. She turned to the stairs while Tommy put out a hand as a gesture for her to lead the way. His eyes still smiled at her.

_Please stay!_ he thought when she passed him. He closed his eyes to inhale her scent one more time. _The sweetest rose is nothing compared to her._

He did not see that Barbara went by with equally closed eyes nor did she see his.

When she had gotten aware of his scent while he had been so close she involuntarily needed to shut down any visible influence.

_I'd _love_ to stay._ she thought.

Slowly they walked across the grass to the stairs.

* * *

"There still is some wine in the fridge..." he suggested but that would be stupid anyway. _Yeah, let's booze, or what?_

"Nah, better not."

"Shall I call you a taxi?" he asked. _Oh, you idiot, that is absolutely _no_ way to make her stay..._

"Nah, 't's ok, I'll take the bus. Need a little stroll to get that wine worked off anyway, it's been a whole 0.75 l bottle."

"Right. But it's actually not very much because we-" he laughed. " 'killed' it in the expanded time of nearly..." Tommy glanced at his watch. "...six hours!"

"Oh dear." Barbara sighed. "That long? I really _need_ to go."

_You don't need to!_ Tommy thought placing his hand in the small of her back as a guidance while they ascended the stairs to the balcony.

_How can I tell him that I enjoyed this pleasurable night?_ Barbara thought. His hand was warm and sent little shivers up her spine.

When they arrived at the top of the stairs Tommy reached around her without touching and with a polite gesture he shoved the branches of the potted laurel tree away to make it easier for her to pass.

"This was a very pleasurable night." he said.

When he slowly retreated he turned his head to hers, his nose being tickled by some rebellious curls of her hair, breathing in the smell of it.

_Vanilla shampoo! _He closed his eyes again.

With a low voice he added right beside her head "I've enjoyed it."

His lips had brushed her ear. Shocked by his own bravery he waited for a reaction but then was glad that she obviously did not feel it.

For a second Barbara stifled unnoticeable and closed her eyes but then went on inside.

Of course she _had_ felt it and was glad he did not see her blushed face. The tingling sensations in her centre caused by the featherlight touch of his lips were way too wonderful.

But of course Tommy _did_ notice the little goosepimples on her shoulders and her flushed neck. _I've embarrassed her. _he feared._  
_

_It was unintentional._ she told herself. It _had_ to be an unintentional touch, he could not possibly have kissed her ear, and much less so tender.

Crossing the living room he made a joking comment that it would be the right time for it and that she could have breakfast with him.

"You know, we've spent the night together and it would be rude to let you go without a coffee."

_Oh, bollocks, this isn't a polite... no, this isn't an invitation _at all_._ he cursed inwardly and threw the rose onto the little table in the corridor.

"It was a really wonderful evening with you, well, _night_, that is." Barbara smiled coyly. _How can I ask to repeat something like this without forcing him?_

"Indeed it was." Tommy smiled happily. _I would love to repeat it soon. _"Thank you for the conversation."_  
_

"Thank you for sharing." she said low-voiced.

"Well, thank _you _for listening!" he answered softly.

They had arrived at his front door and he opened it. Somehow Tommy stood between Barbara and the exit. It mirrored his thoughts: he did not want to let her go.

Finally he knew what he had to do. _You'll never know if you don't finally act on your feelings, old boy. _

A very clear thought formed in his mind.

* * *

_I have to tell her!_

* * *

_._

* * *

_..._


	14. It's A Beautiful Morning

**Author's note:** When I've just re-read the first parts of this chapter the melody and parts of a song came into my mind and I had found the chapter's title: Beautiful Morning by The Ultimate Rascals. (Especially this passage: _It's a beautiful mornin', ah, Each bird keeps singin' his own song._ And later: _There will be children with robins and flowers / Sunshine caresses each new waking hour / Seems to me that the people keep seeing / More and more each day; gotta say, lead the way..._) :-)

Enjoy the following chapter and thanks for all your reviews.

* * *

_..._

* * *

He lost himself in her deep green eyes and his breath slowed down.

_Now, Tommy!_ he encouraged himself. _Or never..._

Barbara nearly stopped breathing too when he took her left hand in his right. She saw his brown eyes getting black when he intertwined their fingers.

Her wide open eyes went down to their connected hands and his followed.

"Don't go, Barbara." Tommy croaked and looked back up.

A slightly awkward and silent moment followed before he cupped her face with his other hand and with the tiniest of movements ever possible she tilted her head into his palm.

She did not want to go.

He released her hand to put one of those rebellious curls of her hair behind her ear before he let his fingers shift into the back of her neck. He came nearer.

They stood as close as possible without touching.

Some few inches apart from her face Tommy breathed barely audible "Don't _ever_ go."

Barbara looked from his eyes to his lips and back to his eyes. "Sir, I..." she said and looked at his mouth again.

She wanted nothing more than to feel his lips on hers. Her heart raced and she could not believe what she thought was happening. She looked in his eyes again.

Tommy bent down and his face slowly came nearer. Barbara suddenly had forgotten what she was about to say.

"I'm going to kiss you, Havers." he breathed. He needed to make sure that she knew what was about to come and gave her the time and space to stop it. Instead she closed her eyes and approached the remaining millimetres.

"Yes, Sir..." she whispered onto his lips.

* * *

Her hands tentatively slid around his waist as his hands softly held her nape.

The touch of her lips felt softer than he ever had dared to imagine and she answered every tangency of his mouth with a sweet pressure. Their lips met in some thousand soft kisses.

A soft morning breeze came through the open door and the first choirs of birds started to greet the new day.

Barbara melted into his arms when his fingers went down her neck lightly exploring her back, touching her not protective, not guiding, not possessive yet, instead in a new delicate and very gentle way, leaving all the space she might need to step back.

He sensed her warm and soft body pressed against his without any intention to stop. With every heave of her breathing she felt the solid opposition of his chest.

His tongue wetted her bottom lip whereas his upper lip only brushed hers so Barbara opened her mouth and let Tommy feel her invitation by greeting his tongue with the tip of her own. She tilted her head more and let him slowly invade her mouth where, shortly after their first contact, their tongues danced frantically.

Every nerve of Barbara was aware of him, every olfactory nerve was filled with his scent, every taste bud detected something new and all with a hint of the white wine Tommy had just drunk.

They held each other in a tight embrace and soon the last bit of hesitancy vanished so their lip's soft connection turned into a passionate encounter.

His exploring hands had finally reached her bottom when the couple needed to break apart, both heavily panting for breath. Their foreheads bumped and Barbara kept her eyes closed, afraid that if she opened them everything would disappear, turning out to be just another daydream.

Tommy's stubbly cheek brushed Barbara's when he nuzzled into her hair while she buried her face into his chest.

_This is a dream indeed, but a very solid one. _She grinned._  
_

"This wasn't a friend's kiss." he stated the obvious.

"No, not at all." she whispered.

Then he pushed the door shut with his bare foot and their faces met again in a tender, longing and lasting kiss.

* * *

"Wha' do you want for breakfast?" he asked a short eternity later, his lips never leaving hers.

"Hmmm?"

"Breakfast...?"

"Mmm-hmmm." She was so far away that she had not realised what he had asked.

Tommy chuckled and looked properly at her. "Tea or coffee?"

"Oh, coffee, please." Barbara blushed and closed her eyes again. She did not want to think about anything. This kiss should go on. And it did.

His hands glided under her top, the touch of just his fingertips left burning traces on her skin and while one arm still was wrapped around his waist she buried her other hand into the hair in the back of his head. When he heard a tiny though very approving sound coming from deep down her throat he placed his strong hands fully on her hips and pulled it close into his. She pressed her body even closer which let him softly moan in answer.

Tommy bowed her slightly backwards thus Barbara had to steady herself and grabbed his upper arms. His hands now very possessively roamed her waist, her hip, her back and with a firm grope her bum cheeks.

This kiss definitely had nothing to do with friendship and it left them gasping for air and laughing somewhat perplexed and deleriously happy.

* * *

Under continued little kisses Tommy went on speaking about breakfast.

"Full English or jus' toast 'n' jam as usual?"

"Wha'?" she unwillingly asked. _Stop talking! _Barbara had just found out that his short shirt provided easy access to his skin._  
_

"Breakfast...!" he chuckled again. Her hands on his waist and on the sides of his chest nearly made him forget about his hunger and cleared space for a very different hunger which was situated about a foot below her warm touches.

"Oh, toast 'n' jam will do, Sir." _Though I'd love to munch _you_ instead._

Tommy winced. He now totally stopped kissing her and looked seriously. "Please, Barbara! Would you _at last_ mind calling me Tommy _constantly_ like I've asked you before?"

They shared an intense look. Barbara felt that after this long night of light and serious conversation, after looks, remarks, banter, seriousness and confessions, and especially after the confession that layed in this overwhelming kiss there was no need for a safety barrier anymore, in fact there was no safety barrier anymore at all. She was surrounded by his protective arms and his dazzling smell. His taste still lingered on her tongue and she could still feel the pressure of his lips. His eyes were tender and pleading though a little uncertainty still shone through.

She really should call him by his first name. It was about time.

"Tommy." she breathed.

The uncertainty in his eyes was gone in an instant and he lowered his lips on hers again.

* * *

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* * *

...


	15. Breakfast

**Author's question:** Ladies... Honestly... Have I pushed your hormon levels up with this story or why is everybody asking for 'the full menu' or expects the breakfast to be eaten later (or something like this)? LOL :-D

PATIENCE YOU MUST HAVE, MY YOUNG PADAWANS!*

* * *

**Author's note: **Well, this is the final chapter. It could be seen as a bridge to the sequel because that's what happens every time I write - another scene and another dialogue and another idea and, and, and...

So far, thank you all for your reviews and comments and watch out for the sequel.

* * *

Now enjoy the last chapter! Tess.

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* * *

When they eventually stopped their endearments Tommy took her hand and led Barbara into the kitchen where breakfast - coffee and toast with jam - already had been prepared and now waited to be eaten.

"What's this?" she asked amazed.

Tommy did not look as amazed as Barbara. "Oh, he's up already, as usual. Denton seems to have heard our conversation and..."

She could not believe that his butler had overheard them. He probably always was present - even at this early hour - which was absolutely embarrassing for her.

"That's awkward, Sir... Tommy." She could not bear to have a third person always being around, especially not now, especially not now when she had to arrange herself with this new situation.

Tommy sensed her uneasiness.

"I'll give him a day off so he'll stay in his attic flat." he offered and went to do so. When he left, Barbara only had dared to start sipping at her coffee.

_What's he saying? 'You stay in your room, Denton.' _she thought._ That's odd._

In the instant he was back he recognised her standing awkwardly next to the table and looking out of the window. He watched her back and her hunched shoulders. _Though it's kind of sweet she should shed her restraint._ he thought and pulled her into another embrace from behind.

"You know what? I've imagined to kiss you since I've had the first view of you standing in my living room." he whispered in her ear.

_Me too._ she thought.

"And I've mused about touching you all night." His arms were wrapped around her whole body when he gently nibbled on her earlobe. Barbara straightened her back and tilted her head. Her eyes closed involuntarily hearing his dark voice.

_You wouldn't believe._ she thought.

"And I've had inappropriate thoughts about you the entire time, my sweet Sergeant Havers." He admitted with a boyish grin and gnawed at her nape.

Barbara had to make a step forward, out of his embrace. If she had stayed there she feared she would have ground her hip backwards. Her whole body was an inappropriate thought at that moment.

"Yeah, and I about you. Sir." she coyly answered and turned. Looking at him with big eyes she dipped her nose into her coffee cup.

Tommy took it and placed it on the table.

"I still have." he growled low and closed the distance to her again. "And there still is some wine in the fridge!" When he pushed Barbara back onto the door of the fridge he assailed her with happy kisses. Her answer was laughter-filled.

They were interrupted by a loud sound coming from his stomach.

"I think we should have the promised breakfast, Tommy."

He loved to hear his name from her lips.

* * *

Finally they somehow managed to be seated properly at the little table in his kitchen. They munched their toasts and sipped at their coffees and talked about the previous events.

"Why did you come here?" Tommy asked.

"It was too warm in my flat, 'n'... I was bored at home 'n'... I missed you." Barbara bit her lower lip. Tommy suppressed the need to jump and pull her in another embrace so he just smiled.

"I missed you too when I was at Howenstow." he confessed and told her how and when he found out.

In return Barbara told him that she found out what had been bothering her the past two weeks when yesterday at noon she realised that he'd be home again.

"And my heart suddenly jumped. I've needed some strength to keep me at my own home and not come here and wait for your arrival." she added with a flushed face.

With a new candour that somehow had come naturally they talked about their thoughts during the previous night and how alleviating it had been to speak of some things, especially with each other, and at last how good it had been to make the final first step.

"Shortly before it would have been too late and you'd have stepped out of my door once again."

"Well, you've asked me to stay."

They smiled lovingly at each other.

* * *

While eating Tommy asked what she usually did on a sunday like this because he wanted to spend it with her.

"Well usually I sit around in my flat, watchin' TV, surfin' on the internet, like that." She shrugged her shoulders. "Seldomly I read a book. An' when it's as hot as it's currently I leave my flat 'n' waste my time where there's air condition. The office, or a café or somethin' like that." She shrugged her shoulders again.

"Though a sunday like this hadn't happen until today." Barbara added looking at her toast. Tommy took her hand and kissed it.

"Then it was about time." he said low.

Both constantly had yawned from time to time which was no wonder because they had spent the night awake, so Tommy suggested they would be having a nap upstairs.

"Isn't that a bit straightforward, Sir?" Barbara interrupted him, boldly emphasizing the meanwhile gently teasing 'Sir'.

While she was not at all irritated by her own blushing she adored that Tommy now blushed too.

Quickly he added that he had a guest room and that the upper floors were air conditioned - unlike her own flat.

"I didn't mean..." he left open what he did not mean and hid himself behind his coffee cup. "Oh, well..."

"I didn't know you speechless, Lord Lynley." Barbara now cheekily grinned and educed an unwilling harrumph from Tommy.

"I've just wanted to make sure you are fit for the late stroll in the museum, which is actually air conditioned, and for the dinner I was about to ask you to." he mock huffed.

Barbara decided to take that urgently required nap at her own home. _I still need some time and space to think. And arrange myself with this._

* * *

After breakfast and some kisses later he called her a cab.

"You sure you don't want to stay in the air conditioned..." Tommy grins and gave her a last tender kiss. "Isn't it crazy? You and me, we have a date!"

Barbara blushed again. "Oh, bollocks!"

"A date for dinner!" Tommy looked entirely happy.

They stood in his corridor and hugged each other close sharing some last sweet kisses.

Barbara needed to downplay the hole thing or she would have bursted with an equal happiness. "By the way, do I have to wear something special? Because if we go to one of your posh restau-"

"Oh, be quiet!" he interrupted her and gave her a last tender kiss. "Just wear whatever you feel comfortable with. Something as special and sexy like what you are wearing now would be fine."

"So it's no posh upper class restaurant for me this time." she chuckled and gave him a last gentle kiss.

Tommy twirled her around when they heard the cab hooting in front of his door. He gave her a last intense kiss.

"You'll see. It's a surprise."

They lost themselves in another last longing kiss before the cab made itself heard once more.

"See you later." she whispered.

"I'll miss you." Tommy answered and brushed her lips for the last time before Barbara stormed out of his door.

* * *

Returning from the door he went past the table in his corridor where the rose he had picked yesterday evening still laid.

He put it in a vase and hummed a little melody.

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**Author's final notes: **Well, I hope you have enjoyed this story. First I had The View ("So, you like what you see?" - adoring looks - "Indeed I do.") as a stand-alone, written nearly in one go. Then the second (his) view popped into my head the day after the release. Then a faint plot-bunny hopped around and I've had some more views in my head and a final scene (that kiss in the doorway) and a vague idea of a night spent with some white wine, banter, laughter, longing, hidden confessions and some serious talk. I wanted to let them go through nearly everything in this hot summer night: the physical and mental desire, the friendship they have, a little flashback, their families and the courage to not only realise that 'there is something between them' but to finally act on it. This vague idea had to be worked out and it was not easy but I have to admit that I'm quite pleased with the result.

Please be alerted because the sequel is already in the making (after all it's just Sunday _morning_...) Look at the story cover of _The View_ and you willl guess the rating. ;-)

And now PLEASE! leave a comment. Thank you.

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*Just to be safe: I have borrowed this quote from Yoda, and Yoda belongs to himself, the force and George Lukas and all Star Wars related companies. I don't own the quote, the Jedi, Yoda, George Lukas, Star Wars, any of his films or ideas and I just made a quote for my own non-profit fun purpose.


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